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flood time. Quinces, peaches, pears, fields of cabbage and cauli- 
flower, tobacco, oats and alfalfa were growing in well-irrigated 
fields. We drove for more than an hour along one road after 
another, the roads paralleling the canals that were bordered with 
poplars and evergreens. 
When we came back on board the Ceres, a typical lunch was 
awaiting us - boiled black sausages and potatoes, a huge platter 
of Italian spaghetti, another equally huge platter of boiled ribs 
of beef, followed by fruit, membrillo, cheese and coffee. There 
was nothing to do but sleep it off on deck, which I did until the 
wake of a passing launch threw a big wave into the exact middle 
of ny back . The rest of the afternoon we whiled away learning 
Argentine songs from the boys, and teaching them Bill Shippen* e 
song : 
'•I’m a rambling wreck from Georgia Tech 
And a helluvan engineer." 
It was with real regret that we left the Ceres, Senor 
Chiarelli and the four boys at Zarate about five o’clock. Here, 
we had been told, we would catch the train for Rosario, and from 
Rosari o we were to proceed to Cordoba. 
Af terTaxi-ing to the station, we watched Bill stru gg ling wi th 
various ticket sellers and station masters. He came back to 
report that the train to Rosario did not stop at Zarate, and we 
would have to go back to Campana, the big meat-packing town which 
we had just seen from the river a half hour earli er. Back to 
Campana we went, by train. The station master in Campana was 
anxious to be helpful, and let us pile our baggage in hi s room 
while we contemplated the uninspiring train schedule. It seemed 
that we could get no train until 10.3C; that train had no sleeper; 
it wou Id dump us in Rosario at 2 in the morning. There was no 
through connecti on to Cordoba. To our amazement we learned 
that after two days’ travel we were only an hour’s ride from B.A. 
where we could get a good train to Cordoba. It meant swallowing 
a little pride, for we had said good-bye to everybody in B.A. , but 
it seemed the logical thing to do to return to headquarters, iisiuii 
We caught a train marked Retire ( the station in B.A. } and to our 
great surprise were ejected at Villa Ballester , where we had to 
catch another train for Retiro. However, v?e reached B.A. at 8.30, 
and made our way to the Continental Hotel, where we engaged light 
airy rooms (16 pesos for double room and bath), cleaned up, and 
went across the street to Maxim ' s for dinner. This was a German 
restaurant, with excellent beer ( says Bill ) , and delicious fried 
pej errey. At the adjoining table were four sailors from the 
American flag ship Quincy, and Bill got into conversation with them. 
One of them had been at the Naval Hospital* Laboratory in Washington, 
and remembered hearing Bill’s snake lecture J There are three 
American cruisers in port, on a "good-will tour", and we are missing 
a lot of festivities by not staying in B.A. f or the next few days. 
We are invited to one party at the Embassy, and one on board the 
Quincy. 
